Waterford police chase and arrest three in mall thefts

Waterford — Police made three arrests in two separate incidents Friday at the Crystal Mall, including charges against one man for swiping a tip jar off the counter of a Chinese restaurant.

Police were first called to the mall at 5:38 p.m. for a theft from Wok Express in the food court of the mall. Police identified Shane Bidwell, 23, of Waterford as the thief who took off on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash from the jar.

Police chased him into a wooded area where he was flushed out by the department’s K-9 team, Officer Dan Lane and his dog Ike. Bidwell was charged with sixth-degree larceny and interfering with an officer.

About 20 minutes later, with police still at the scene, Macy’s security reported that two women were attempting to leave the store with merchandise they hadn’t paid for. Police said when confronted by a loss prevention officer, one woman grabbed and twisted the officer’s thumb. The two ditched the merchandise and fled on foot.

Police said Natasha Rodriguez, 23, and Milady Rivera, 27, were caught in the parking lot near Sears. Rodriguez was charged with third-degree robbery and sixth-degree larceny. Rivera was charged with sixth-degree larceny.